Sonia Sanchez is a poet, playwright, author, professor (now retired), and multiple award winner who has traveled the world sharing her poetic style and supporting African American culture. She was active in the Black Power movement, supported Malcolm X, was briefly part of the Nation of Islam (left primarily because of how women were treated), and always a proponent of being who you are and speaking your own language, perhaps because she was so shy as a little girl and had a stutter. I truly admire the way in which she overcame that.

Here’s some info about her on poets.com. And here’s an excerpt from a poem I love:

haiku poem: 1 year after 9/11

by Sonia Sanchez

Amongst the Muslim, the Jew, and the Christian

whom does God love more?

How did you disappear, peace, without

my shawl to accompany you?

The entire poem is in morning haiku and well worth reading. A lot of her poetry is in haiku or various forms of haiku, including “sonku.” :o) Here are some of her books:

And some books about her:

And I love how she continues to write. We don’t “retire” from writing. It’s a part of who we are. Write on, Sonia.